1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the protective packaging systems and apparatuses therein, and more particularly to a creating a molded pulp cushion and tray packaging apparatus using specific geometrical configurations for protectively accommodating fragile items often associated with electronic equipment, especially during post-manufacturing and transport, without the need for additional packing materials.
2. Description of Related Art
It is known that one way to protect electronic equipment (e.g., computer displays, electronic component boards, thin lead electronics, and the like) is to wrap or surround the equipment in packing foam, bubble wrap or polyurethane pellets before or concurrent with setting such equipment into a shipping container for transport. Other methods includes shipping these electronic components via parallelpiped cardboard containers, specially-molded containers or foam-injected boxing so as to minimize the movement of the equipment during transport. Unfortunately, each of these methods is only satisfactory in protecting the equipment during transport, and each have varied costs associated therewith.
It is also known to use foamed materials and even pulp-based materials in the construction of conventional packaging arrangements and assemblies. However, each has a set of known design and/or use limitations. For foam materials, though cushioning and protection are generally good characteristics, they use too much material and cannot be recycled economically. Pulp-based materials however, though abundant and relatively inexpensive, have proven to be inadequate for the routine or repeated transport of sensitive components and electrical devices. Additionally, though common pulp-based designs may be useable in single use situations, the pulp, due to its nature, begins to crush or tear prematurely and easily. Often, unfortunately, the flexibility of the pulp material (pulp fibers) is limited to a narrow range such that during transport or even packing, overflexing of the pulp fiber is quite common—resulting in tearing and diminished shock protections.
Given the negative economic and environmental aspects of non-pulp-based solutions in packaging, and the limited utility of traditional pulp-based packaging designs, it is desired that a reusable, pulp-based packaging assembly be developed.